Renewed Satbayev University

At the very end of 2015, Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed to the post of Rector of KazNRTU named after K.I. Satpayev the Rector of the Kazakh-British Technical University Iskander Beysembetov, under the leadership of which KBTU became the first technical university in Kazakhstan. KazNRTU was transformed into the NCJSC - a non-commercial joint-stock company.

Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of Satbayev University Iskakov Rinat Maratovich:

“Two years ago, the University changed its status and was transformed into a joint-stock company. This change makes it possible to pay teachers more, to improve the material and technical base, and to solve many of the pressing problems of the University. ”

During the one and a half year transition period, the economic model was changed and a number of steps were made to move from the educational model of the University to the research one.

What is a “university research model”?

In our time, the sphere of education is undergoing significant changes. Thanks to the Internet, information has become super-accessible, and the dialogue with the English-speaking scientific world has been intensified. More and more people are learning remotely, choosing online courses of famous universities. In California, there was opened a University without teachers, whose graduates work in IBM, Amazon and Tesla, and also open their own firms.

In these conditions, it is most advantageous to make a bet on research - because it is impossible to organize this process sitting at home at a computer. Therefore, there was emerged a new model which involves the integration of studying and scientific work and obtaining the main profit from research. For a technical university like Satbayev University, this is primarily the introduction of new technologies into production.

Who will do the research?

To work on a new model of a research University, the most important resource is people. Global competition imposes "global" requirements on people who want to work at the University in the future. First of all, it is English language, which allows you to get acquainted with the latest most important developments in the scientific field, to be part of international projects and the international "system of cooperation" of scientists, which allows you to be competitive at the global level.

Director of the Institute of Architecture and Construction Kuspangaliev Bolat Uraykhanovich:

“I believe that both teachers and, most importantly, students should be fluent in three languages - Kazakh, Russian and English. This is especially important in science, because in our areas the basic literature is in Russian and English. We introduce into the consciousness of students that knowledge of these languages significantly increases their competitiveness in the modern world.

For a year and a half we have certain achievements: the number of scientific developments has sharply increased, there has been opened a research laboratory, which has enabled the faculty to work systematically in science with the involvement of Master’s Degree and Bachelor’s students.

We were the first in the republic to hold an international conference on BIM-technologies and now we are introducing them into the educational process. Master programs have been prepared in this area, and next year the first enrollment will be made for this educational programme.”

 But what about training?

To match the stated level, we had to change a lot. First of all - to change personnel policy. The new personnel policy might have seemed tough, but it was the only chance to solve the problems that had accompanied the KazNRTU for decades.

Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs of Satbayev University Iskakov Rinat Maratovich:

 “The level of student requirements was very low and when students do not study, they begin to fill the time with idleness. We seriously increased the level of security and said goodbye to those who did not want to learn. We raised the level of requirements: first of all to ourselves, then to teachers and students. We introduced the selection on a competitive basis.

In many ways, we have created an artificial competitive environment, but we had no other choice. We are interested in the perspectives for University, in becoming it a world-class university, therefore we hire teachers who speak English and can compete with foreign teachers, if not immediately, but in perspective. Not everything has been done yet, but we are step by step raising the level and hope to become one of the best technical universities in the world.”

Director of the Institute of Architecture and Construction Kuspangaliev Bolat Uraykhanovich:

“There were defects in terms of practices and internships, especially foreign ones. For example, a very popular internship at the Bialystok Technical University in Poland: it turned out that some of the students went to practice, noted at the university and ... made a tour of Europe. We covered this vicious practice. Now students have two advisers: one from our side, the other from the host one. They supervise the work of students in the practice approved by the two parties.

It should be noted that the positive changes that takes place at the University are already bearing fruits. Once I happened to be a witness of a conversation between two students in the office of the Vice-Rector. They talked about the fact that “   the bubble has burst”, it’s just not possible to “bribe one's way out of trouble”. I liked this conversation: it means that we are on the right track. ”

What do changes bring

The focus of the work was shifted to the quality of students’ studying and to an increase of scope in research and development works, which in the complex significantly improved the economic performance of the University.

The university has implemented a number of projects in the field of electric transport, energy-saving construction, modern metallurgy. New international contacts were established with the best universities in the world.

One of the steps in improving competitiveness in the global market for innovation was the rebranding of KazNRTU named after K.I. Satpayev and its transformation into Satbayev University with the appropriate branding and symbolics. The new identity of the oldest Kazakhstan University combines respect for the traditions of our people, European and Oriental traditions of science, and also ambitions and a high level of aspirations of the renewed University.